MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Could the regular-season champion earn a bye to the second round of the Chase?
Former series champ Brad Keselowski says drivers have discussed ways to reward the points leader more after the 26-race regular season. A bye is one such idea.
The biggest benefit to the points leader after the season’s 26th race is a spot in the Chase — if they don’t have a win and are already locked in. Since the Chase debuted in 2004, the points leader after 26 races has always had at least one victory.
Keselowski, who has two victories this season, admits an early win can give a driver a new perspective on the regular season.
“I think clearly the sport is lacking some motivation once you’ve won a race,’’ Keselowski told reporters Monday at Team Penske’s shop. “I don’t think there’s any question that most of the competitors in the sport feel like that is not advantageous for a product we’re trying to put on and have floated some ideas to level that back out that maybe some people will like and maybe some won’t. We’ll have to see.
“At the end of the day, it’s never a good thing to remove motivation from the field.’’
It also seems to have impacted fans. In a conference call with industry analysts last month, an International Speedway Corp., executive said the focus on the Chase may be playing a role in fans purchasing tickets for those events instead of races earlier in the season.
Keselowski said that “most every driver, I think, would agree with some kind of regular-season bonus of real value. Right now you get three points for a win, which is something, don’t get me wrong, but it only counts for the first round.’’
Those bonus points proved pivotal for series champion Kyle Busch last year. He won four races in the regular season, giving him 12 bonus points entering the first round of the Chase. He wouldn’t have advanced to the second round, though, if he had two fewer points.
What would be a good reward for the regular-season champion?
“I think a bye is a good word for it,’’ Keselowski said. “As we’re trying to emulate other sports and major playoffs, I think it makes sense as it does for them.’’
If so, what would be the motivation for the driver who has a bye into the second round?
“I guess that comes down to the question would you rather see a dozen guys or so demotivated for 30-some races or 20-some races, or would you rather see one driver demotivated for three races?’’ Keselowski said. “It kind of seems like a trade-off to me that maybe values the regular season more, which is of course a higher quantity of races, and devalues the first round of the playoffs. It’s just a tradeoff. The value proposition I think is worth it.’’
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